This is a family friendly blog for those who love dolls and toys. The blog is a forum for all apsects of doll history, doll collecting, and doll making. It is the first step in creating a nonprofit doll center to educate the public about the historical role that dolls, the oldest human cultural artifact, play in the the lives of people all over the world. All excerpts are the author's intellectual property and may not be reproduced in any means withoutreceiving permission from the author.

My husband led me to a fantastic Victorian doll house yesterday. After we chatted with a great couple who built it, we came home with VanV...

Sand Baby Castaways

Courtesy, Glenda Rolle the Artist

PM Dolls

Leo Moss

German Dolls

Formerly, Aunt Len's.

Beecher Doll

Graces cover of Lenon Hoyte Auction, Aunt Len's

Foreign Dolls

Pryor Collection

Pryor Doll Collection

In Dec. 1959 Natl. Geographic

Great Book

Edward VI's Doll, 1540

Formerly, Helen Moe Doll Museum

Rare "frozen metal doll" Mannikin Pis

Courtesy, eBay Eilleen, Finder 27

Vintage Japanese Doll Joins our Museum Family

Courtesy, Southern Soldier Antiques

Rare Frozen Charlotte Type

A Pageant of Dolls

By Lesley Gordon, 1948

Hong Kong Lili

Barbie Stamp

An early Vintage Barbie

Bild Lili

Zinc Bodied Rohmer

Caused a suit between Mme. Rohmer and Mlle. Huret

Metal Dydee Baby

17th century Lead Dolls

England

Doll Shaped Mold

cf Dolls and Puppets by von Boehn

Metal Head

Probably Minerva

Black Metal Head

Russian Nesting Doll Charm

18 inch Metal Head

Mlle Bleuette

14th C Munich Clay Doll

Used as Bapitsmal Gifts

Halopeau artists rendering

Toy maker

Restored dolls

L to R: All vinyl mid-60s, Ragggedy Ann, handmade, new arms and clothes, Barbie Type as Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia. Black Felt Dress, white silk flowers and ribbons. She is in one piece, but with a swivel waist that does snap in two!

About Me

Monday, September 30, 2013

It is nearly Halloween; here is a post from one of my favorite authors, who also happens to like dolls. We have books and dolls from her former collections in The Museum: “When you loved dolls and studied them, you started to love all kinds of people too, because you saw the virtue in their expressions, how carefully they had been sculpted, the parts contrived to create the triumph of this or that remarkable face.” Anne Rice, Taltos.
The doll pictured is an artist's reproduction from Dr. E's Doll Museum representing the Long Faced or so-called Cody Jumeau, allegedly modeled after a French King's portrait, done at age 4.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

See below; I still love them, still have ours in The Museum, talk about them in With Love from Tin Lizzie!
Written by Michael Tarm Associated Press
Sep. 19, 2013 11:18 AM |
lansingstatejournal.com
CHICAGO — Felonies and potential prison stints haven’t been the kinds of things associated with cute, cuddly Beanie Babies, but that changed Wednesday when the creator of the iconic stuffed toys was charged with tax evasion and agreed to pay a $53 million penalty.
H. Ty Warner, a 69-year-old billionaire from suburban Chicago, intends to plead guilty and pay the massive penalty, his attorney said in a statement as prosecutors in Chicago announced the legal action. He’s accused of failing to report income he earned in an offshore bank account. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and assorted other fines.
The well-honed image of Beanie Babies, so much a part of the lives of many children and their parents, could take a hit, said Allen Adamson, managing director of the New York-based branding firm Landor Associates.
“It’s so jarring because this product feels so sweet, so innocent,” Adamson said. “To find out the person behind it isn’t so sweet and innocent. … Beanie Baby’s getting a black eye.”
Beanie Babies first appeared in the mid-1990s, triggering a craze that generated hundreds of millions of dollars for Westmont, Illinois-based TY Inc., of which Warner is the sole owner. The small, plush toys have heart-shaped name tags and are made to resemble bears and other animals. Some of the more recent ones are designed to look like cartoon or comic book characters.
As collectibles, some fetch thousands of dollars.
Court documents allege that Warner maintained a secret offshore account starting in 1996 with the Switzerland-based financial services company, UBS. Prosecutors say he earned $3.1 million in gross income in 2002 through the account, but didn’t report it.
“This is an unfortunate situation that Mr. Warner has been trying to resolve for several years now,” Warner’s attorney, Gregory Scandaglia, said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago did not mention a $53 million penalty in its news release. Scandaglia described it as “a civil penalty … for failure to file a Foreign Bank Account Report.”
Warner would appear to be in a position to pay: Forbes recently estimated his net worth at $2.6 billion.
His legal troubles could put off some Beanie Babies fans or would-be business partners, potentially denting profits, Adamson said.
“People are risk averse,” he said. “If there’s negative buzz around something, they can choose something else.”
But people generally don’t associate Warner’s name with his product, so branding expert Laura Ries doesn’t think the case will keep lovers of the toys away.
“People may not buy (a Beanie Babies toy) because it’s not as cool as it was,” said Ries of the Atlanta firm Ries & Ries. “But I don’t think consumers care the owner didn’t pay his taxes and is in big legal trouble.”
Warner’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 2.
.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

As many of my readers know, I publish. I have been published by The Hobby House Press, The Tower Press Mazgzine, Fitzroy-Dearborn/Routhledge, The Popular Press/U of Wiscosin Press, 918studio, The Pace University Press, PMLA, Black Hawk College, Ammerican Doll and Toy Corp, The Pace University Press, The Midwest Journal of Victorian Studies, etc. I've done this on my own, with no agent. I am proud of this, but as a result, I do not get the profits from many of my books, which have been donated for charity, or fees to go to the publisher or buyer, in the case of Sappho, I should have listened. That's a little ironic, considering the title. I was happy to have these arrangements, but I find myself in some flabbergasting situtations. My book on Pym sells everywhere for sometimes 95.00-130.00. I get none of this, unless I sell copies myself. I sell them from $10.00-40.00, below cost to the original press. The same is true of my bibliography of dolls and toys, which I found today on sale at Alibris for $110.00!! I have contacted these sellers, again, and hope for an answer. I do not write to get rich, but I am a little disgusted. These books take years,and years of research, and travel and legwork, and the publishers certainly don't reimburse that cost.
There are many other people out there with the same lament. My reviews are very good; my Kindle fiction is selling, and I hope to post more fiction and nonfiction there, though I sell modestly. I want people to read; I am a teacher by trade and nature, and I have much to share.
Yet, for all my effort, I see my Pym book posted on Google without my permission by The Popular Press. I, and many others, collect only 1% royalties on The Academic Presses because it is an honor to be published, a perish or publish necessity in some schools, and, to paraphrase Michael Dorris, an honor to be used.
I will still write, but please, if you want a copy of any of my books. Contact me first. Thank you.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

May never forget, may we always have courage, and may The United States always be The United States. To those who lost their lives at The Pentagon, In Pennsylvania, In The Twin Towers, In Iraq, In Afhanistan, In Bengazi, and anywhere people have died for Freedom:Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

It has been a busy month for doll collecting activities. I had my first obscene nasty spam on my other web museum, called simply, Doll Museum. I marked it spam and deleted it. I can’t stress enough that this is a family blog. We simply are not THAT kind of doll!
My thanks to the RI Library Friends. We had a lovely time at lunch, and my program was well-received. I was told the topic, “A Literary Shelter for Misfit Dolls” was a hit. Many of my teachers, neighbors, and professors were there. I received a lovely Peruvian doll, called “The Peruvian Barbie,” a small china doll of Becky Thatcher, and a lovely round doll trunk from the fifties. These were gifts from some very kind people who wanted to show their appreciation.
Many people had questions; the men were as interested as the women. I organized the displays around the dolls appearing in the novels of George Eliot, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Anne Rice, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I talked about one of my favorite web sites, The Shelter for Misfit Dolls. The venue, The First Baptist church, was also the first place I ever gave a talk on dolls. It was 1969, and I was earning my Girl Scout Collectors badge. One doll from that talk made her return engagement; she was a dried apply granny my mother bought for me for Christmas. She was a penny saver advertisement, but from the Amanas, where an elderly woman made apple dolls for years.
There were people in the audience who had given me doll and added to my collection over the years, and I thanked them.
I was asked to do other programs, which always makes me happy. The museum is, after all, to share, that the dolls may teach and learn.
Saturday was our second book signing at The Book Rack, and our third for With Love from Tin Lizzie. We are very grateful to the store who allow us to hold signings.

1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi…
Before I Can Count, or Spell Mississippis
I’m 4, looking over the Bridge Rail
Waiting for skimming barges
Afraid to see big, long water snakes,
Dark as the water,
Happy to see Koi,
Oranges, dark greys, pearl whites,
“Is that where my goldfish go
When they swim upside down in my bowl then
Go away?”
Delighted at their immortality.
1 Mississippi,
I’m ten, and Ferris wheels
Glitter on Old Miss’s Banks,
Rhinestones that decorate the shore
The way they decorate hats you win
At the Carnival,
Murder that summer,
Never solved,
A boy who was my age will never ride the Ferris wheel again.
He is not immortal, and the rail road bridge, its tracks, and the Arsenal
Gates are his last companions.
2 Mississippi,
I’m 15, and its Field Biology time,
I’m wading in her shores at Sunset Marina,
Pulling things out of the water,
Creating slides of microscopic
Water creatures,
Wearing rubber hip boots,
Not fishing, but catching a lot,
An old doll head finds its way to me,
Sightless, grimacing, glad I’ve caught it.
We disinfect it, sew it a body,
Create Couture from an old swim dress of mine.
It has a second life.
3 Mississippi;
I’m nearly 30.
I don’t have to count “Mississippis” any more
To measure time.
It flows swifter than my River’s Current.
I’m gone, gone girl to California.
I wade in the Pacific now.
But, I don’t like it. Not anymore.
Like Susie Glaspell, I want my river.
4 Mississippi,
I’ve come home,
Still looking for water snakes in the
Black Water,
Still struggling against
Time’s Current,
Writing, teaching, showing
Others my River.
5 Mississippi,
I won’t tell you how old I am.
“You are drinking the Mississippi River,”
A sign reads at one of my old schools.
Well, I do drink it in.
I visit its locks and dams,
Damn its bridges,
Ride its currents when I can,
Listen to my River.
One day I’ll sail it down to
River Styx.
Then I won’t even try to count
Mississippi’s anymore.

Friday, September 6, 2013

It has been a while, but I am eager to get back to blogging. After a very sad summer, involving more funerals than I care to think of, and a bad bout with summer allergies and asthma, we are back at The Museum, planning projects. We have two talks coming up for local library groups and churches, and at least two book signings and one reading for With Love from Tin Lizzie . . . . We have two new kitten, Mr. Tuxedo and Ms. Bangles. It was an accident, or as a friend put it, "an unplanned pregnancy! :)" They are now three months, and have run us ragged, collapsing on the bed at night in little furry balls to sleep. When they wake up and play tag, they sound like a heard of elephants crashing through the halls. The first thing they did was to find the bag of Emmie Kitty's "mouse doll," all of them: Catnip Rocket Mouse, Doll Mouse, Mme. Le Pomplemouse, Leopard Mouse, etc., about 30 all told. We keep them in a Hello Kitty! bag, of course. T and B were facing each other with kitty toys spilled between them. They were shoving different toys towards each other with paws and noses. I think they were dividing them up. They had such a good time, I didn't have the heart to take them, though I wanted to save Emmie's toys in a glass case, a la FDR and Fala's rubber squeak toys.
They won.
For those who are cyber minded, you know there are many great groups on collecting dolls and antiques. My favorite is Dolls Antique Dolls Antique, Admin legendary dealer and collector Pat Vallaincourt. There are many others. I also have found some interesing YouTube cites on dolls and doll colecting, and some Pinterest pages. I will list some in this blog with links, and have shared some in my sidebar on in earlier blogs.
Here, also is a list for a new, free site, for advetising dolls and related items, called Doll Pile, discovered from my friend, Deb Ritter of Uneek Designs:
http://www.dollpile.com/item/1463
Facebook:
1. Dr. E's Doll Museum. https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dr-Es-Doll-Museum/200664553315817 [my page]
2. Antique Dolls AntiqueDolls. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/
3. For the Love of Dolls. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/340077192745284/
4. TOYS-VINTAGE-GIOCATTOLI - FOR SALE - VENDO - . https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/187848534704031/
5. OOAK ART [Dolls]. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/63401573327/
6. Quality Antique Replica Dolls. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/replicadolls/
7. Antique Vintage Artists Doll Bazaar. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/163657630460540/
8. Southern Junkers. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/southernjunkers/
9. Dolls and Bears from "Julito." https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/396596907077961/10. Dolls- Buy, Sell, Trade--any brand, new or used. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/603473099697740/
11. Clothing for Dolls and Teddy Bears. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169477506410448/#!/groups/607148185968042/
12. Doll Collecting. https://www.facebook.com/groups/270051882079/?ref=br_tf
There are many more besides these. Once you join one, more pop up on the right side bar. You ask to be invited by clicking on them, and you then get approved.
YouTube: This is just a sampling. I also use Doll Museum, specific museum names, dolls, Collectible dolls, etc., as keyword searches:
The 2 Million Dollar Doll Collection
o by Barcroft TV
o 1 year ago
o 40,787 views
Subscribe http://tinyurl.com/BarcroftTV twitter: https://twitter.com/Barcroft_TV Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BarcroftMedia ...
o H
Jackson Women's Club, antique doll collector Diane Southworth on AM Live TSPN TV 2-15-13
o by TSPNTV
o 6 months ago
o 47 views
Jan Gleason of the Jackson Women's Club stops by the AM Live set with antique doll collector Diane Southworth.
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Evaluating Your Antique Doll Collection
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 2,731 views
An expert teaches you how to properly evaluate the your antique doll collection, including tips and tricks, in this free video about ...
o CC
Doll Collectors Vintage Blythe Doll, Polly is SOLD!
o by 1dreampainter
o 3 years ago
o 6,922 views
I NEED to sell my vintage Blythe doll and I would like $1200.00 ( U.S. dollars ) but will consider offers. I hate to part with her but ..
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Types of Antique Doll Hair
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 2,852 views
An expert teaches you about the different types of hair found on antique dolls in this free video about collectible dolls. Expert: Jan ...
Why I like something I like - Antique Dolls
o by EVPClassABC
o 4 years ago
o 5,670 views
I was "tagged" so I put this together.
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Crissy Dolls
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 4,779 views
An expert teaches you what to look for in Crissy dolls including tips and tricks in this free video about collectible dolls. Expert: Jan ...
o CC
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Saucy Walker Dolls
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 5,915 views
An expert teaches you what to look for in Saucy Walker dolls including tips and tricks in this free video about collectible dolls.
o CC
6 videos Play all
doll collecting
o by Alejandro Chouza
o 1:35
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Saucy Walker Dolls
o 0:42
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Evaluating Your Antique Doll Collection
View full playlist (6 videos)
My Vintage Doll Collection
o by Melanie Olson
o 4 years ago
o 17,148 views
For doll lovers... This slideshow originally started out as a cataloguing project for insurance purposes, but then the idea grew into ...
o HD
My Barbie vintage doll collection
o by 72tremendo
o 10 months ago
o 272 views
My collection of vintage Barbies From 1950's, 60's and 70's including my Blythe doll collection, medium and petite size from Japan ...
National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention
o by clevelandplaindealer
o 3 years ago
o 47,803 views
Barbie doll fans and collectors from around the world are gathering at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel for the National Barbie ...
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Raggedy Anne & Andy Dolls
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 2,434 views
An expert teaches you what to look for in Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls including tips and tricks in this free video about collectible ...
o CC
ANTIQUES
o by ActionFigureWorld
o 0:44
2011 Long Island Doll Show Hauppauge, New York Ideal Dolls
o 4:45
He-man & the Masters of the Universe 1982 Castle Grayskull Playset Toy Review
View full playlist (12 videos)
Duck House Porcelain Heirloom Collector Dolls For Sale @ www.ChifferobeHomeandGarden.com
o by Stephanie Wilder
o 5 months ago
o 317 views
http://chifferobehomeandgarden.com/ (828) 669-2743 Duck House Porcelain Heirloom Collector Dolls For Sale Duck House and ...
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Buddy Lee Dolls
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 1,419 views
An expert teaches you what to look for in antique Buddy Lee dolls including tips and tricks in this free video about collectible dolls.
o C
Vintage Barbie Doll Collection
o by windyfields
o 4 years ago
o 14,600 views
I have a couple hundred barbies and assorted other 1960 and '70's dolls. I used to have approx. 400 dolls but slowly weeded out ...
Antik Puppen, antique Dolls in Trier
o by evajolanthe
o 3 years ago
o 3,602 views
Antik Puppen, antique Dolls in Trier, Deutschland, Germany, I love antique Dolls.
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Composition Dolls
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 2,582 views
An expert teaches you what to look for in composition dolls including tips and tricks in this free video about collectible dolls.
o CC
Antiques: How to Collect Antique Dolls : Antique Dolls: Vinyl Puppets
o by expertvillage
o 5 years ago
o 1,291 views
An expert teaches you what to look for in Vynil Puppets including tips and tricks in this free video about collectible dolls. Expert: ...
o CC
Collector's Spotlight: Me and My Collection, by Kewpie 83, also lists to blog. This is a mother/daughter collecting team.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaLoPzKg3og. Focus on Skipper.
Museums:
On YouTube, Museum of Unique Dolls, Moscow. Credits Cleopatra with being the first doll collector!
A Thousand Faces, or the Museum of Unique Dolls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNZ2XipfKxU. In English.
On the Web: Dolly Mamma's. Used to be in Indiana. http://www.indystar.com/VideoNetwork/1821443959001/Dolly-Mama-s-museum-of-dolls-
and-toys
Pinterest.com:
Use Doll Collection. There are also boards by Sammy Odin of the Museum of the Doll, Paris.